The present invention relates to a process for stabilizing hydrocarbon in water emulsions and the resultant viscosity stable hydrocarbon in water emulsion products.
Hydrocarbon in water emulsions which use surfactants to form the emulsion have been employed in the production and transportion of heavy crudes and bitumens having high viscosities. Typical of the foregoing are hydrocarbon in water emulsions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,467,195 and 4,265,264. Due to the physical chemistry of the hydrocarbon-water-surfactant system, the hydrocarbon is water emulsions are subject to aging, that is, a tendency to increase in viscosity over time. Aging is a serious problem when handling hydrocarbon in water emulsions due to the fact that the emulsions must be transported and stored prior to final processing which, in many cases, requires the emulsion to remain stable for up to thirty days or longer. Failure of the emulsions to remain stable results in the coalescence of the disbursed oil droplet phase of the emulsion and correspondingly an increase in viscosity of the emulsion. The coalescence of the oil droplet phase ultimately results in the breaking of the hydrocarbon in water emulsions into separate phases of oil and water.
Naturally, it would highly desirable to develop stable hydrocarbon in water emulsions which maintain stable viscosities over relatively long periods of time thereby allowing for transportion and storage of the hydrocarbon in water emulsions.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a process for stabilizing hydrocarbon in water emulsions formed from heavy crude and bitumens having high viscosities.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a process as set forth above wherein a stabilizing additive is admixed in the hydrocarbon-water-surfactant system so as to form stabilized hydrocarbon in water emulsion products.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.